• The bilateral tri-service exercise between India and the US — Tiger Triumph — began on the Eastern Seaboard on March 18. 

• The third edition of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise between both countries will conclude on March 31.

• Tiger Triumph exercise was first conducted in 2019. 

• The exercise is aimed at developing interoperability for conducting HADR operations and refine standard operating procedures (SOPs) to enable rapid and smooth coordination between the forces of the two countries.

• The Indian Navy ships with integral helicopters and landing crafts embarked, Indian Navy aircraft, Indian Army personnel and vehicles and Indian Air Force aircraft and helicopters along with the Rapid Action Medical Team (RAMT) are participating in the exercise.

• The US is represented by US Navy Ships with embarked troops of the US Marine Corps and US Army. 

• The harbour phase is scheduled from March 18-25. Personnel from both navies would participate in training visits, subject matter expert exchanges, sports events and social interactions.

• On completion of the harbour phase, the ships, with the troops embarked, would sail for the sea phase and undertake maritime, amphibious and HADR operations in accordance with injected situations.

Other bilateral exercises with the US are: 

i) Cope India (Air Force)

ii) Yudh Abhyas (Army) 

iii) Sea Defenders (Coast Guard)

iv) Vajra Prahar (Special Forces).

Major Defence Partner

• The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years.

• In June 2016, the US designated India a ‘Major Defence Partner’ paving way for sharing of critical military equipment and technology.

• The two countries have also inked key defence and security pacts over the past few years, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

• The two sides also signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 which provides for interoperability between the two militaries and provides for the sale of high-end technology from the US to India.

• In October 2020, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement to further boost bilateral defence ties. The pact provides for sharing of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.

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